Cactusthornshttp://new.vote29.com/blog
Irreverent Barbs on Desert LifeWed, 20 Feb 2019 16:03:54 +0000enhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3http://new.vote29.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/cropped-2newsbannerlogo1112-32x32.pngCactusthornshttp://new.vote29.com/blog
3232115814785http://new.vote29.com/blog/15409-2/
http://new.vote29.com/blog/15409-2/#respondWed, 20 Feb 2019 15:52:49 +0000http://new.vote29.com/blog/?p=15409In the US alone, sales of cacti and succulents surged 64% between 2012 and 2017; a market that is now estimated to be worth tens of millions. But rising demand has met a thorny problem: cacti are extremely slow-growing, with some species taking decades to grow from seed to full maturity. Hence, many opt for the shortcut: pulling […]

In the US alone, sales of cacti and succulents surged 64% between 2012 and 2017; a market that is now estimated to be worth tens of millions. But rising demand has met a thorny problem: cacti are extremely slow-growing, with some species taking decades to grow from seed to full maturity. Hence, many opt for the shortcut: pulling them right out of the ground.

When most people drive through the Cactus Forest in Saguaro national park, their gazes are fixed skyward. Towering saguaros fill the view on either side of the road, rising 40, even 60ft high, their human-like arms outstretched.

But on a recent December afternoon, Ray O’Neil was focused on the ground. He was looking for holes. As the park’s chief ranger, O’Neil is on constant alert for an unusual menace: cactus poachers. Saguaros aren’t just beautiful to look at; they also fetch a hefty price, up to $100 a foot, on the black market, where they are enormously popular with landscapers.

As the sideways winter light illuminated the saguaros with a golden effervescence, O’Neil scanned the scene. “People try to steal all kinds of things from the park, even rattlesnakes,” said O’Neil, staring out the open window of his SUV. “But cactus has always been the biggest target.”

The national park is not alone. Across the south-west, cacti are being stolen from public lands in increasing numbers. From soaring saguaros to tiny, rare species favored as indoor house plants, the booming global demand for cacti is driving a shadowy, underground trade that’s difficult to police. Moreover, experts say, such trends risk destroying sensitive species forever.

In Saguaro national park, the situation became so grave it prompted a bold solution. In a scheme that made headlines, park workers began inserting microchips the size of pencil tips into cactus trunks, which could be scanned with an electronic reader. While the effort has so far proven effective in thwarting thieves, it has been a rare bright spot in a problem that remains pervasive yet intractable. More than a dozen cactus experts interviewed for this story – government botanists, presidents of regional cactus clubs and respected south-west nursery operators – shared tales of crimes that go largely unprosecuted, fueled by unregulated international trade on the internet.

‘If you steal a cactus, we will find you’

Back at Saguaro national park, the Guardian joined park staff to see the chipping scheme in action. While O’Neil carried a sidearm, park biologist Don Swann packed a yellow chip insertion device resembling a staple gun. With a tiny chip loaded in the barrel, he held the gun flush to a saguaro trunk.

]]>http://new.vote29.com/blog/15409-2/feed/015409SIRIUS The Brightest Star Will Disappear February 18http://new.vote29.com/blog/sirius-the-brightest-star-will-disappear-february-18/
http://new.vote29.com/blog/sirius-the-brightest-star-will-disappear-february-18/#commentsSat, 16 Feb 2019 18:24:00 +0000http://new.vote29.com/blog/?p=15400An asteroid will block the brightest star in the night sky On February 18, 2019 a four-mile wide asteroid is going to pass in front of Sirius, the sky’s brightest star, and block its light for just under two seconds. Can a 7-kilometer-wide asteroid make Sirius disappear? You bet it can. That just might happen on Monday […]

On February 18, 2019 a four-mile wide asteroid is going to pass in front of Sirius, the sky’s brightest star, and block its light for just under two seconds.

Can a 7-kilometer-wide asteroid make Sirius disappear? You bet it can. That just might happen on Monday night, February 18th. That evening around 10:30 p.m. MST (5:30 UT February 19th), there’s a good probability that the 17th-magnitude 4388 Jürgenstock will occult the sky’s brightest star for up to 1.8 seconds. Visibility stretches along a narrow path from the southern tip of Baja California to the Las Cruces–El Paso region, up through the Great Plains, and north to the Winnipeg area. While only a limited number of people may see this event, anytime Sirius disappears, however briefly, it’s news!

In the U.S. the narrow path cuts through New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. If you live in or near this path, this is definitely worth watching, especially since it will be happening at a convenient hour in the evening.

]]>http://new.vote29.com/blog/sirius-the-brightest-star-will-disappear-february-18/feed/315400Sentinel: Rowe Staff Hiring Scandal Metastasizes To Other Supervisors’ Officeshttp://new.vote29.com/blog/sentinel-rowe-staff-hiring-scandal-metastasizes-to-other-supervisors-offices/
http://new.vote29.com/blog/sentinel-rowe-staff-hiring-scandal-metastasizes-to-other-supervisors-offices/#commentsThu, 14 Feb 2019 17:58:59 +0000http://new.vote29.com/blog/?p=15392By Mark Gutglueck The San Bernardino Sentinel Emerging detail and further revelations about the board of supervisors’ selection of Dawn Rowe as Third District supervisor in December and her hiring of two “political hitmen” into key positions on her staff implicate both supervisors Robert Lovingood and Janice Rutherford in an effort to create a partisan […]

Emerging detail and further revelations about the board of supervisors’ selection of Dawn Rowe as Third District supervisor in December and her hiring of two “political hitmen” into key positions on her staff implicate both supervisors Robert Lovingood and Janice Rutherford in an effort to create a partisan electioneering operation within the fifth floor suite of administrative offices at the county’s governmental headquarters in San Bernardino.
Rowe’s hiring of political operatives Matt Knox and Dillon Lesovsky as her office’s chief of staff and policy advisor has resulted in a firestorm of controversy, based in some measure upon the brutal and illegal tactics employed by Knox and Lesovsky in campaigns against the opponents of the candidates they have worked for, as well as the prospect that both will work on Rowe’s electoral effort in 2020.
Rowe was chosen to succeed James Ramos, who was first elected to the Third District post in 2012, reelected in 2016 and then successfully vied for the California Assembly in the 40th District in November. Ramos’s 2016 reelection entitled him to hold the supervisor’s post until 2020. His resignation as supervisor to move on to Sacramento thus created a gap on the council. Rowe’s appointment to the position will thus end in 2020, and she has committed to seeking election as Third District supervisor in her own right next year.State law prohibits the use of public money to pay for political or electioneering work on behalf of any candidate for public office and it is illegal for public employees to engage in partisan activity or any electioneering while functioning in their capacity as a public official or from public premises or while using public facilities, equipment, machinery, vehicles or materials. In hiring Lesovsky, in particular, Rowe appeared to be testing the envelope. There is a clearly identifiable anomaly to the arrangement relating to the provision of Lesovsky’s services to the county in that he remains as a full-time employee Monday through Friday with AvCom, a massive aircraft storage and aviation asset management facility involved in the leasing, sales and consignment of aircraft engines and avionics equipment located at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, while he is simultaneously serving as a member of Supervisor Rowe’s staff. Generally speaking, supervisoral staff members have historically been full-time county employees functioning within the traditional workweek on an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily schedule, with only rare exceptions to that rule. Lesovsky’s circumstance raises questions as to how he is fitting within the standard rubric for county employees. Moreover, Lesovsky has himself made statements which indicate that his function is a political one, i.e., getting individuals elected and in place to govern rather than one devoted to the actual act of governing or facilitating the delivery of governmental services to residents, citizens and constituents.
Both Knox and Lesovsky have extensive and recent experience in running political campaigns and/or engaging in activity that is an adjunct to those campaigns. In the 2018 election, both were involved in the generation of attack or “hit” material relating to Congressman Paul Cook’s opponent, former California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly. Despite both Cook and Donnelly being Republicans, they faced off against each other in the November general election, having placed first and second, respectively, in California’s open primary voting in the June race in California’s 8th Congressional District. Previously, Lesovsky had been employed as a member of Cook’s Congressional staff. Knox remained as one of Cook’s staffers and was also functioning as Cook’s 2018 campaign manager. Knox and Lesovsky worked on the “Dirty Donnelly.com” effort, which consisted of a website and signs directing the public to that website, which utilized doctored photos to paint Donnelly in the most negative of light, and dwelt at length on a number of derogatories relating to the former assemblyman, including that he had a criminal record, was scamming senior citizens, had deserted his family, had engaged in “political fraud,” stole from his own wife and was unemployed. In violation of state law, neither the website nor the signs directing voters’ attention to the website had any identifying California Fair Political Practices registration number nor the indicia required under California law for campaign signs and materials to show what entity, organization, committee or campaign paid for the materials. The campaign on behalf of Cook directed by Knox and the hit perpetrated by Knox and Lesovsky proved highly effective, as Cook trounced Donnelly in the November 6 election 108,414 votes or just under 61.33 percent to 68,370 votes or 38.67 percent.
Those of a political bent took note of how effectively Cook was able to convincingly dispatch Donnelly, which was significant because Donnelly’s political persona, anchored to his identification as the most conservative politician in California and one who is unrelentingly faithful to bedrock ultra-right principles, matched perfectly with a solid plurality if not an outright majority of the voters in the overwhelmingly right wing 8th Congressional District. And while the identities of those behind Dirty Donnelly.com were unknown to the population in general, those in Republican Party circles recognized the site as the handiwork of Lesovsky and Knox.
For Supervisor Robert Lovingood and for Phil Paule, who is Supervisor Janice Rutherford’s chief of staff, the tandem of Knox and Lesovsky, with whom they were already quite familiar, presented interesting possibilities bridging out toward the future. Lovingood had first been elected supervisor in 2012, the same year Ramos had come into office. Like Ramos, he had been handily reelected supervisor in 2016. He is due to run for supervisor once more in 2020 if he wishes to remain as supervisor, which at this point is a possibility. It is equally possible that in 2020 he will be interested instead in moving on to higher office, as Congressman Cook, who next month turns 76, is mulling departing from Congress, and Jay Obernolte, the current Assemblyman in the 33rd District, is considering vying for Congress in the 8th Congressional District if Cook does elect to depart. Whatever his decision, to remain as supervisor, to seek to succeed Obernolte in the Assembly if Obernolte opts to run for Congress or to himself run for Congress in the aftermath of Cook’s decision to leave the House of Representatives, Lovingood will need to campaign in 2020. While Lovingood, as the incumbent, would be the odds-on favorite to be reelected to one last four-year term to the board of supervisors under the three-term limit in place for supervisors pursuant to the passage of Measure P in 2006, his viability as a candidate for either the Assembly or Congress would be far less certain and contingent upon the strength of the other candidates against whom he would be competing. Thus, being able to reliably call upon the off-the-shelf services of Knox and Lesovsky at that time would be of significant assistance to him. Paule, who has quite a history as a political operative himself and remains involved in electioneering efforts including those of his own and of other members of the Republican Party, likewise has an interest in being able to wield the services of Knox and Lesovsky on campaigns and on behalf of candidates of his choosing. Paule was the district director for Darrell Issa when Issa was a Congressman. In 2012, Paule ran for election to the California State Assembly in District 67. His campaign was co-chaired by Congressman Issa and former State Senator and Assemblyman Ray Haynes. That same year, he left Issa’s office and went to work for the then-newly elected James Ramos, who, though he was a Democrat, had been elected with the backing of the wing of the San Bernardino County Republican Party based in Redlands. Paule remained with Ramos’s office until July 2016, when he departed to serve as campaign manager for Issa in that year’s election. As the 2016 election season was drawing to a close, Paule was hired by Rutherford to serve as her chief of staff with the onset of 2017. Paule has also associated with a number of Republican Party heavyweights throughout California, including Issa, Cook, and Haynes; Congressman Doug LaMalfa, former Congress members Jeff Denham, Gary Miller, Mary Bono Mack and Mimi Walters; former state senators Bill Leonard, Dick Mountjoy, Bob Huff, Bill Emmerson, Tony Strickland, and Mark Wyland, former California Assembly members Kevin Jeffries, Beth Gaines, Jim Silva, Cameron Smyth, Diane Harkey, Chris Norby, Brian Nestande and Jeff Miller. Paule has been a board member with the East Municipal Water District in Riverside County since January 2007, after he was elected to represent the district’s Division 1 the November 2006 election. He has succeeded in warding off competition ever since and ran unopposed in 2010, 2014 and 2018.
Rowe, a former Yucca Valley Councilwoman, was closely associated with Chad Mayes, currently an assemblyman and formerly Yucca Valley mayor and himself formerly Rutherford’s chief of staff. Rowe has referenced Mayes as a mentor who encouraged her to become involved in politics. She associated as well with Cook, and was, until she resigned to accept the position as Third District supervisor, a member of his staff. While working for Cook, Rowe was a colleague to both Knox and Lesovsky. As a member of Cook’s staff in 2018, Rowe was aware of Knox’s and Lesovsky’s hit campaign against Donnelly.
In 2015, Lesovsky, while yet a member of Cook’s staff, was caught on video by the Project Veritas group acknowledging that campaign donations made to Cook could purchase influence, favorable votes and support from Cook on legislation impacting those donors. With regard to Boeing and Mitsubishi Cement, Lesovsky is heard on the audio portion of the video saying, “They are big campaign contributors of ours. You know, we’ll help them out.”
Cook and his office were embarrassed by the incident, which necessitated that the congressman make a show of distancing himself from Lesovsky, and Lesovsky was either terminated or resigned. Nevertheless, arrangements were made to help him land on his feet, and he soon thereafter was given another governmental job on the staff of one of Cook’s political allies, Supervisor Lovingood, where he remained until finding the position he now has with AvCom.
Both Paule and Knox recommended to Rowe that she install Lesovsky on her staff. Reports now are that Lovingood encouraged Rowe to hire Lesovsky and that Rutherford, either directly or through Paule, suggested that Lesovsky would make a welcome addition to her staff.
What has been suggested by both circumstance and observers is that Lovingood, Rowe and Rutherford, along with Lesovsky, Knox and Paule, are involved in an effort to construct a political shop on the fifth floor of the county administration complex dedicated in general to the promotion of Republican candidates in San Bernardino County, with the immediate specific focus being the 2020 campaigns of Supervisor Rowe in her effort to remain as Third District supervisor and Supervisor Lovingood in his electoral effort for whatever office he chooses to either retain or pursue.
Neither Lovingood, Rutherford, Rowe, Lesovsky, Knox or Paule were willing to comment with regard to the nature of the political operation that was being assembled in Rowe’s office. Neither Rutherford nor Lovingood responded to questions about their awareness of Knox’s and Lesovsky’s involvement in the Dirty Donnelly.com political hit during the 2018 election. Nor would Rutherford or Lovingood say whether they might consider a county ordinance, similar to that which exists at the federal level in the Hatch Act, prohibiting members of San Bernardino County’s supervisorial staffs from engaging in political activity relating to the election campaigns of their employers or employers’ colleagues, if such a restriction could be constructed in a way that is consistent with the U.S. Constitution.
Lovingood did not respond to questions about whether he intends to employ either Knox or Lesovsky in his 2020 campaign and he did not offer a response to the suggestion making the rounds in the county that he had gone along with Rowe’s hiring of Knox and Lesovsky because he stands to benefit by the assistance that Knox and Lesovsky will render him in his 2020 campaign.
Paule was unwilling to say whether he had recommended to Rowe that she hire Lesovsky and Knox, or if he and Supervisor Rutherford had any discussion with regard to Knox and Lesovsky prior to their hiring by Rowe.
Lesovsky directed all questions about the circumstance to Suzette Swallow, Rowe’s official spokeswoman. Swallow has not returned the Sentinel’s phone calls and Rowe’s staff has refused to provide Swallow’s email address to facilitate written communication with her.
Knox did not confirm reports or respond to questions relating to whether he is to work on behalf of Supervisor Rowe’s election campaign or if was already engaged in making preparations for the 2020 election. Nor would he say whether he intends work on any other political campaigns in 2020.
Asked by email if he saw any conflict between his role as chief of staff and his electioneering efforts on behalf of the supervisor, Knox did not answer. Knox would not comment on or speak with regard to the Dirty Donnelly.com element of the Cook campaign.
And Knox did not respond to whether reports that he was on the brink of resigning as Rowe’s chief of staff and taking Lesovsky with him in an effort to resurrect the supervisor’s reputation and good name.
Rutherford told the Sentinel, “I supported the appointment of Dawn Rowe as Third District supervisor because of her previous elected service, her outstanding application and interviews before the board, and her detailed knowledge of the policy issues facing that district. As with any supervisor, decisions about how to staff her office are up to her and any questions about why she chose particular individuals should be directed to her.”
David Wert, the county’s official public spokesman, this week offered a defense of the fashion in which Knox’s and Lesovsky’s hirings had been placed on the consent calendars for the meetings of the board of supervisors on January 8 and January 29. The consent calendar is reserved for items deemed to be noncontroversial, such that a multitude of items considered to be unworthy of public discussion are collectively voted upon with a single vote.
“Members of the board of supervisors and most certainly the clerk of the board do not determine whether agenda items appear under consent or discussion,” Wert wrote. “That process is handled by the county administrative office. And all items are consent unless there is a legal requirement to have them on discussion (public hearings, first readings of ordinances) or if the CEO or chairman of the board directs that they be placed on the discussion calendar. It doesn’t work in reverse. Discussion items are not placed on consent. As for board staff appointments, I can safely say that in nearly 30 years of covering the county as a reporter and working for the county as public information officer, never has a board staff appointment been moved to the discussion calendar.”
Rowe has not returned phone calls placed to her office and was not available at the county administrative building for an interview this week when the Sentinel thrice sought to speak with her there.

]]>LADIES SALAD LUNCHEON•
Our February Ladies Salad Luncheon always happens in Valentine season,
and Vi Minnix, Kim Abramson and Linda Walsh have dressed up the
Community Center with festive hearts and flowers.

So this
Saturday, February 9, at noon. Bring a salad or dessert to share with
friends and neighbors. Weekenders and newcomers, come meet and greet
your neighbors. Casual dress, lots of good food and fun!

No charge. If you haven’t got time to fix a dish, just bring yourself!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^LAST WEEKEND’S BREAKFAST & POTATO BAR•
Over 50 folks arrived for the Saturday Breakfast last weekend, despite
the cold-and-rain forecast. We ended up with bright sunshine until
afternoon.

The Potato Bar did not draw as many as in the past,
but we had a surprisingly good turnout in the late afternoon bitter
weather.

Some who made the trip over from Hammertown included
our friends Helen and Harry Baker, who have been regular February
visitors since the days of the Partnership for Johnson Valley and the
Marine Base expansion. Also on the scene, our new Third District
Supervisor Dawn Rowe (who plans to return for the upcoming meeting of
the Homestead Valley Community Council here on Monday, February 18. More
details later).

After enjoying the baked potatoes and Linda
Walsh’s desserts, most people stayed for the after-dinner announcements,
the JVIA meeting, and door prize drawings. But, oh, it was
bone-chilling going outside afterward.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^SNOW•
Yesterday morning, snow lay like cotton on the ground after a hard wind
from the south all night. Not enough to stick very long, but it’s
moisture that soaked into the ground. Wildflowers, anyone? Freezing
nights may have slowed them up, but we already have more green than we
have seen in a long time!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^JV BUMPER STICKERS•
As a fundraiser for Pets of the Hammers, Paula Mattecheck has created
vivid lime green bumper stickers, “Beautiful JOHNSON VALLEY” now
available at the Community Center for 1.00 each, six for 5.00.

See
Pets of the Hammers on Facebook, they take action year-round to reunite
pets lost or found in Johnson Valley with their families. Your bumper
stickers can help them continue to succeed.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^KING OF THE HAMMERS• A big thank-you
to Dave Cole for donating KOH entry wristbands as a fundraiser for
JVIA. We did not make connections until most everyone had purchased
their entries, but these were snapped up fast.

Local fans like
to go out to Hammertown with their families, and it was nice Dave
thought about us, given he has a gazillion things to occupy his
attention.

This Saturday, the tumult and the shouting dies, the
racers and the Kings depart –­ along with the thousands of racegoers,
the mechanics, welders, pit crews, course marshals, reporters, camera
crews, vendors, and volunteers for all kinds of jobs including the
clean-up – after Saturday morning’s awards ceremony and The KOH
Experience for fans who want to travel the Hammers trails to see what
they are really like.

The 2019 King of the Hammers will close the
record book, and the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle area will open
to the public again.

We have witnessed qualifying races, the UTV
side-by-sides, and the Every Man’s Challenge races. Both events
featured cars driven by well-known racers of Ultra4’s who have entered
tomorrow’s King of the Hammers event. The Big One.

Monday
night’s Shootout, featuring Rock Bouncers from Southern states versus
desert racers, saw nine cars climb a sheer cliff in time spans from 19
seconds to just over two minutes, and another 21 cars that slid and dug
in and clung and bounced and rolled, but did not finish.

All this insane action came into our living room via Livestream.com, yet another amazing spectator experience supplied by Hammerking Productions.

Today
the T-1 Truck racers made their first rounds of the Hammers trails
(drivers including ten Baja-winners). The trailing helicopters and
camera crews in the boonies showed them breaking stuff at about the same
rate we always expect from the Hammers. The drivers said it. This race
is different.

Whichever Kings will have taken all the crowns and
big purses on Saturday, we can safely say that with so many former Kings
and so many determined returning racers, as well as veterans of other
grueling off-road events from all over the world, the true winners are
the race fans and off-roading enthusiasts.

This form of racing,
new just a few years back, has spread worldwide. Hammerking Productions’
legendary Ultra4 Racing now runs seven races in the US, (qualifiers for
KOH), four in Europe, one in Australia, and an exhibition in China.

The
long sandy trails and boulder-filled canyons of Johnson Valley now host
a week of racing by different classes of vehicles, including those
trucks for the first time this year. The resulting outgrowth of
businesses benefits every off-roading family coming out for a weekend of
exploration and camping. Fabricators, toolmakers, electronics, parts,
tires, batteries and safety innovators – hats off to all.

Chief among the arguments for dismissal of the lawsuit: a
“pay first, litigate later” clause in the California constitution,
prohibiting “any court” from preventing the collection of a tax. “After
payment of a tax claimed to be illegal, an action may be maintained to
recover the tax paid…”

Of course. After you pay that illegal
parcel tax, you can wait around forever before you could see a refund.
Just like we still wait for the State to refund all the money they
collected for the illegal tax on every habitable structure in the
CalFire State Responsibility Areas, a court fight continuing to this day
by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Monkey see, monkey
do. County learns by example, sees they will have the use of our County
Fire parcel tax money until they decide to give it back. Don’t hold your
breath.

See the Red Brennan report on the situation, attached.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^JOURNAL DEADLINE •
If you have a story or photos from JV homesteading days or from this
week at the races, give me a call at the number below before February
9th; leave a message please, if I don’t pick up.

The next issue,
Mar-Apr, must go to the printer shortly in order to arrive in our
members’ mailboxes before the first event of next month, the Saturday,
March 2nd Corned Beef Dinner.

———INFO FOR NEW JVIA MEMBERS•
JVIA members receive the Johnson Valley Journal 6 times a year and this
JV NEWS e-mail in between Journals; it includes information published
in the weekly community news columns in the Hi-Desert Star. If you
prefer not to receive the JV NEWS e-mails, just reply and say Cancel.————-ABOUT THE COMMUNITY CENTEREveryone
is welcome to every event at the Center! Johnson Valley Improvement
Association members or non-members may join in on scheduled activities
and special events!

Special event: the Homestead Valley Community
Council holds its regular meeting here on Monday, February 18, at 3:00
p.m., and again on the third Mondays in June and October.

Regularly-scheduled events:Saturday Breakfast, 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.Dinner, every 1st Saturday at 5:00 p.m. followed by the General Meeting

Fundraising
events 1st Saturdays: Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Oktoberfest, usually
begin in the afternoons, includes a dinner. No General Meetings those
months.

]]>http://new.vote29.com/blog/johnson-valley-news-02-08-2019/feed/015361Joshua Tree Gateway Communities/Los Angeles: Tale of Three Municipalitieshttp://new.vote29.com/blog/twentynine-palms-los-angeles-a-tale-of-two-cities/
http://new.vote29.com/blog/twentynine-palms-los-angeles-a-tale-of-two-cities/#respondSat, 09 Feb 2019 12:00:03 +0000http://new.vote29.com/blog/?p=15364 The Town of Yucca Valley and City of Twentynine Palms — both of which are “Joshua Tree Gateway Communities” — situated in the Hi-Desert Morongo Valley have taken council positions declaring they are non-sanctuary local entities. If you are undocumented or have overstayed on a visa, Y.V. and 29 Palms do not want your business, […]

The Town of Yucca Valley and City of Twentynine Palms — both of which are “Joshua Tree Gateway Communities” — situated in the Hi-Desert Morongo Valley have taken council positions declaring they are non-sanctuary local entities. If you are undocumented or have overstayed on a visa, Y.V. and 29 Palms do not want your business, you, or your family in city limits. Conversely, just yesterday Los Angeles yesterday made official that they will “not assist in any way with federal mass deportations or intrusions in schools, hospitals or courthouses seeking out residents and others people for deportation.” Is it safe to say that the 29 Palms city council encourages “mass roundups” in the city? That voted against the humanitarian bill, didn’t they?

SB 54, called the California Values Act, requires that no state or local resources are diverted to fuel any attempt by the federal government to carry out mass deportations and that our schools, our hospitals, and our courthouses are safe spaces for everyone in our community.

Last June the Twentynine Palms City Council with an impregnable sense of Christian self-righteousness (along with a dozen other cities (Yucca Valley)) took a stance in opposition of the humanitarian California Values Act.

Even though the city and town are on record as scofflaw local entities in disobedience of California law (SB 54), 29 Palms City Manager, Frank Luckino, acknowledges the the obvious:

He informs that “absolutely nothing will change with patrol operations.”

Even though the city council is opposed to people without valid, current immigration document from entering the city to shop, lodge, fuel up, sightsee and dine — 29 Palms and Y.V. are fiat players with absolute no authority to keep people out of the city.

That would be against the Constitution. We still believe in that.

Moreover, a few years age the 29 council attempted to regulate intrastate commerce with an outright draconian ban to prevent licensed and legal mobile courier businesses from delivering physicians’ recommended legal medication to the sick, veterans, the disabled and elderly.

Therefore, the California Legislature overrode deviant towns and cities, to include Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms, that shutdown Intrastate commerce as those local statutes as overbroad and comporting with the California Constitution.

These sort legitimate businesses can now legally engage in intrastate commerce in Twentynine Palm.

It’s ironic that a then all GOP seated city council of males would even entertain the thought of Republicans preventing commerce in their city or sending a message to some tourists and visitors they are not welcome.

The councils stuck their noses into federal matters and created a widening division among citizens and residents.

Sometimes the council needs to just shut up and tend to local business in the public interest.

The council defiant scofflaw actions were mean spirited. Their actions threw people under the bus, and the plan to prevent people from entering the city advanced racism and and raises animus and ignorance on the council.

Will the newest of council members follow the old ways of the republican old guard on the city council — or will they act independently — on all matters — in the best interests of taxpayers and the public at large?

The cycle of groupthink on the City Council of Twentynine Palms in has driven the council into forays of dubious concern.

Just ask the Attorney General and California Department of Finance.

Legal immigration is very complicated. The INS is vastly underfunded. The immigration process is widely known as a slow and inefficient. Illegal immigration is for congress to legislate, not Twentynine Palms.

Their April pandering to GOP loyalists was little more than to draw the favorable attention of Republicans throughout the county and for a desiring to be vicariously stroked by the Administration and Congressional party loyalists.

Meanswhile, the council was ‘smack happy’ to accept a six million dollar gift of taxpayers’ funds from the state toward funding a project which has already sucked-up no less that $30 million with almost zero results.

Further, one revolving old guard 29 councilmen put into motion the sending of official city correspondence to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue seeking acceptance from the Commander in Chief because they have made the steps to ‘cleanse the city’ of the undocumented.

The Los Angeles Times article below is tale told of a city in which puts itself ahead of personal biases, political commitments, party politics and meaningless stances that strike terror in residential neighborhoods.

It took nearly a year and a half, but officials voted Friday to declare Los Angeles a “city of sanctuary,” long after other left-leaning cities took a similar stand against the Trump administration’s policies toward immigrants who lack legal status.

The Los Angeles City Council voted 12 to 0 to approve a symbolic resolution that elected officials first proposed in September 2017.

At the time, Councilman Gil Cedillo and Council President Herb Wesson called the proposal a response to President Trump’s plan to unwind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children.

But their resolution sat in committee for months. Critics questioned whether they would turn their press conference rhetoric into an actual label for an immigrant-rich city.

Immigrant-rights advocates said Friday’s vote came too late to have much impact.

“They missed the opportunity to do this when it really mattered — back when the immigrant community of Los Angeles needed to know where its city stood,” said Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California.

The resolution doesn’t provide any new legal protections for immigrants, but instead reaffirms existing policies, including Special Order 40, which bars Los Angeles police officers from initiating contact with someone solely to determine whether they are in the country legally.

The resolution declares Los Angeles to be a “City of Sanctuary, protecting the human rights of all our residents.”

]]>http://new.vote29.com/blog/twentynine-palms-los-angeles-a-tale-of-two-cities/feed/015364The Sentinel: Controversy Over Rowe Hiring Political Hit Man With Taxpayer Moneyhttp://new.vote29.com/blog/the-sentinel-controversy-over-rowe-hiring-political-hit-man-with-taxpayer-money/
http://new.vote29.com/blog/the-sentinel-controversy-over-rowe-hiring-political-hit-man-with-taxpayer-money/#respondSat, 02 Feb 2019 16:20:45 +0000http://new.vote29.com/blog/?p=15352San Bernardino County – January 1, 2019 Recently appointed Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe has stepped into controversy by loading her staff with a core of staff members political operatives who are widely perceived as having a primary function of tending to her election when she runs as the incumbent next year. Of note is […]

Recently appointed Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe has stepped into controversy by loading her staff with a core of staff members political operatives who are widely perceived as having a primary function of tending to her election when she runs as the incumbent next year.

Of note is that at least three of her board colleagues and perhaps all four have encouraged and supported her in indulging her political ambition and the utilization of public money in perpetuating her hold on office.

Rowe’s bold use of her authority in office comes a decade after the demise of a former board member, Bill Postmus, who soared to the heights of political power in San Bernardino County, only to come crashing to earth, and was charged with and ultimately convicted of 14 felony counts of political corruption. The case against Postmus, which involved bribery, conspiracy, public conflict of interest and misappropriation of public funds, originated with an investigation which focused upon issues and crimes similar to the specter that has now descended over Rowe involving political patronage and the hiring of friends, supporters, associates and cronies into government positions who then involved themselves in political activity on the public dime.

Amid a multitude of similarities, one distinction between Postmus and Rowe consists of the consideration that Postmus’ misuse of his hiring authority while in the position of an elected official came as a consequence of his having been thrice elected to county office, while Rowe’s wielding of her power of employment is taking place prior to her having faced the Third District’s electorate, as she is progressing toward and gearing up to do just that for the first time in the 2020 election.

One similarity that Rowe has with Postmus in particular is the fashion in which both husbanded favor with the county’s Republican political establishment as a key to fulfilling their own ambition. In the case of Postmus, he was in the 1990s, a founding member, with a handful of others slew of others including Brad Mitzelfelt, Keith Olberg, Tad Honeycutt and Anthony Adams, the High Desert Young Republicans, all of whom were acolytes of then-Republican Assembly and later Republican California Senate Leader Jim Brulte. Rowe, who was elected to the Yucca Valley Town Council in her maiden foray into politics, was mentored by Chad Mayes and Paul Cook, Republicans both who in turn served as mayor of Yucca Valley before they moved into higher political office, to the Assembly in the case of Mayes and both the Assembly and Congress in Cook’s circumstance.

Indeed, it was Rowe’s GOP bona fides that achieved for her the appointment as Third District supervisor in December.

On November 6 of last year, James Ramos, who was elected Third District supervisor in 2012 and reelected to the post in 2016, cruised to victory over San Bernardino City Councilman Henry Nickel in the race for Assembly in California’s 40th District, which includes all or part of Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino Highland, Redlands and Loma Linda. Prior to his election to the board of supervisors, Ramos was the elected leader of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Tribal Council. In defeating the Republican Nickel, he became the first Native American to be elected to the California Assembly. A Democrat, he had expressed his wish to his board colleagues before resigning as supervisor that he wanted his deputy chief of staff, Chris Carrillo, to replace him as Third District supervisor. Of the four remaining board members, however, only one – Josie Gonzales – was a Democrat. The other three – Robert Lovingood, Curt Hagman and Janice Rutherford. Since the 1960s, San Bernardino County has been dominated politically by the Republican Party. Even though the number of registered Democratic voters eclipsed the number of registered Republican voters in San Bernardino County in 2009, for a decade the Party of Lincoln has maintained control in San Bernardino County by virtue of stronger Republican voter turnout and greater Republican success at getting independent, unaligned, and more obscure party voters to support their candidates than the Democrats, such that San Bernardino County remains one of the last bastions of the GOP in the increasingly heavily Democratic Golden State. In 17 of the county’s 24 municipalities, 17 have city or town councils where Republicans outnumber Democrats.

Stay
after dinner to hear what’s happening right now in Johnson Valley and
JVIA. Help with ideas, too – we always ask for more volunteers, more
cooks, more people to participate to make the best use of the Community
Center for our community and our weekenders.

The meeting begins around 5:45; you do not have to be a JVIA member to join in, just show up!

Newcomers!
The address is 50567 Quailbush Rd. From Hwy 247, turn onto Larrea Rd.,
go 1-3/4 miles to the corner of Quailbush, you see the building on your
left.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^LADIES SALAD LUNCHEON• Mark your datebook for the Ladies Salad Luncheon, on Saturday, February 9. Bring your favorite salad or dessert to the Community Center to share. Time, noon until around 2:00 p.m. No charge.

Weekenders,
come as you are, it’s a casual, fun occasion, and if you do not have
time to fix anything, come anyway, we always have a lot to eat!
Newcomers, this is an excellent time to meet your new neighbors.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^JOHNSON VALLEY HISTORY•
If you have a tale from your family’s homesteading days out here in the
back of beyond, and especially any old photos, give me a call at the
number below before February 9th; leave a message please, if I don’t
pick up.

We always try to include items of historical interest in
the Johnson Valley Journal, published every two months for members of
the Johnson Valley Improvement Association. Some of these JV family
cabins now see the fourth generation, grown-up kids now bringing their
kids and grandkids.Journal readers like desert wildlife images, too.
And any photos you want to share of racing action and Hammertown this
week, of course.

Thank you in advance!

^^^^^^^^^^^NEW! LANDERS FLEA MARKET• The Landers Association planned to open the First Saturday Landers Flea Market this Saturday, February 2nd, at Homestead Valley Park, but it looks like rain could cancel it.The notice says: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the public/buyers/tire kickers.Please do not arrive before 9:00 a.m., to give the Vendors time to unload their “treasures” and get set up. Thank you.There
is a forecast for rain, but we all know how accurate the weather
forecasts are for Landers. However, if it is pouring rain at 7:00 a.m.
Saturday, the Flea Market will be canceled and the next one will be held
on the First Saturday in March – March 2nd.

We hope this attracts a crowd and get established as a regular event; it’s only minutes away from JV.

Turn
right onto Hwy 247, go to Linn Rd., turn left and go all the way down
to Belfield Blvd. Turn right at the Integratron, pass Gubler’s Orchids.
The park is ahead on your left.

^^^^^^^^^^^^MORE RAIN? HERE?•
Winter rains continue to arrive! Wildflower displays may not be far
behind. If we get some rain in March, it could be fantastic. A few
desert dandelions have already made their debut in the front yard of the
Community Center.

We’re supposed the get rain (not showers)
tomorrow afternoon, and a lot of rain all Saturday, pretty windy, too.
Be prepared for anything during Hammers week, including nights near
freezing.

Tony
Pellegrino and the GenRight team again are taking fans out on the race
course on Saturday, February 9th, after KOH is over, as part of the
GenRight KOH Experience.

KOH ADMISSION GOOD FEBRUARY 1-9• General Entry Pass – $30 per person, at www.ultra4license.com, or at the Gate to enter Hammertown and the race spectator areas for every event during KOH weekKids 10 and younger are free!Military Discounts – available only at the Gate with your Military ID(Do not purchase these tickets online as all sales are non-refundable)Active Duty – Free at the GateVeterans and Dependents – 1/2 off at the Gate ($15)

CAMPER
PASS – $20 online or at the gate, for any camping vehicle with living
quarters, (i.e., RV, Trailer, Cab-Over, Toter-Home) that enters Johnson
Valley during KOH Week.This pass is good for the duration of KOH and is required of ALL spectators, pit crews, and teams with camping vehicles.Camping
is primitive, and first-come-first-served for spectators, outside of
Hammertown. Registered race teams have assigned addresses in Hammertown.
(See map on www.ultra4racing.com.)The
Camper Pass is a separate pass from the car/truck/pit bike parking
passes required of teams that drive vehicles inside of Hammertown.

CAUTION
Keep pets confined! If you do lose or find, a wandering pet, post with a
photo if possible on “Pets of the Hammers” on Facebook.

Please do not approach Hammertown on Darancette Rd.; it’s open for the residents only.

Be
ready for slow going every day, all week, on the approaches to
Hammertown. Smile and be patient, have your tickets handy at the gate.

And
don’t ruin your whole visit by passing a line of slower vehicles on the
highway, only to meet head-on with another vehicle hidden just over a
rise. Think two-lane road, NOT a freeway.

Remember, if you pack
it in, pack it out. Clean-up after KOH is also an enormous undertaking.
We know some un-cool visitors have left their trash bags by the highway –
don’t! If wind and critters get to them, it doesn’t take much to have
garbage spread around by the road.

When going to and from the
OHV Area from our community roads, do not travel on the Hwy 247
right-of-way, use the dirt trail that parallels it on the north side.
Cross the highway legally and very carefully to get onto any of the
community roads.

If you come up Larrea Road while in or on a green-sticker vehicle, travel on the dirt alongside the pavement.

^^^^^^^^^^^^DUES DUE TOMORROW• Thursday, January 31,
is the last day to get your membership in JVIA, if you want to have
voting privileges, run for office, and receive the Johnson Valley
Journal.

Just print the attached application form and get it into
the mail postmarked by the 31st with your check made out to JVIA. Or
pay your dues by secure credit card PayPal payment on www.johnsonvalley.com, AND mail the form to Helene, address on the form.

You
can get an application form on the lobby desk any time, to get the
Journal. When you come to Saturday Breakfast at the Center, please fill
it out and give it to the cashier with your dues.

E-Mail address:
If you want to continue receiving this JV NEWS e-mail between Journals,
be sure to print your e-mail address plainly on your application form.

———HELLO, NEW JVIA MEMBERS•
JVIA members receive the Johnson Valley Journal 6 times a year and this
JV NEWS e-mail in between Journals; it includes information published
in the weekly community news columns in the Hi-Desert Star. If you
prefer not to receive the JV NEWS e-mails, just reply and say Cancel.

————-ABOUT THE COMMUNITY CENTEREveryone
is welcome to every event at the Center! Johnson Valley Improvement
Association members or non-members may join in on scheduled activities
and special events!

Special event: the Homestead Valley Community
Council holds its regular meeting here on Monday, February 18, at 3:00
p.m., and again on the third Mondays in June and October.

Regularly-scheduled events:Saturday Breakfast, 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.Dinner, every 1st Saturday at 5:00 p.m. followed by the General Meeting

Fundraising
events 1st Saturdays: Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Oktoberfest, usually
begin in the afternoons, includes a dinner. No General Meetings those
months.

Doors
at the Johnson Valley Community Center open at 4:30 p.m. Potato Bar at
5:00. What’s better than a hot potato custom-loaded with savory
toppings, including sour cream, chopped onions, cheese, butter, chili,
and more? Enjoy!

Be sure to stay for the announcements and the meeting afterward! Everyone welcome!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^SUPER BLOOD WOLF MOON•
Last Sunday’s total eclipse of the Super Blood Wolf Moon lived up to
its billing. The sky was clear for the whole event despite the cloudy
forecast.Super, it was! Right at the end of our driveway!

No doubt a super-bazillion images of this unusual phenomenon reside on cell phones and cameras anywhere in the country that had clear skies. Just in case you missed, this hand-held photo does a pretty fair job of showing it. Thanks, Court Prittie.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^SUPER HURLED ROOF WIND•
After moonset, Mother Nature turned the bear loose! We hope you did not
suffer damage from the winds that roared all night and the next day.
One reading clocked 65mph on the west side of JV, and we may have had
some twisters.

Reports came in of trailers overturned and tents
blown apart in Hammertown, right in the worst of it. The build-up gets
complicated enough out there in the outback of Johnson Valley without
this setback!

All the noise has calmed down, though the
explosions from the Marine Base kept the animals and us jumpy. Today: no
wind, no clouds, temp in the upper 60’s, dropping 30 degrees by sunup
tomorrow.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^OUR SUPERVISOR AT HVCC•
We were pleased to have Supervisor Dawn Rowe present at the meeting of
the Homestead Valley Community Council in Landers Belfield Hall last
Monday.

She swore in our Council officers: Jim Harvey from JV,
back to serve again as president; Rick Sayers of Yucca Mesa, who has
served for years as vice president; myself as secretary; and Floy
Creveling of Landers as treasurer.

-The
County Fire parcel tax (that would afflict almost all County landowners
by the expansion of County Fire Protection Zone FP-5). A grassroots
coalition formed to mount a fight against this proposal which had been
weighted against any meaningful protest by the property owners. The
coalition now seeks ways and means to reach out to all voters if current
legal challenges succeed in bringing that parcel tax to a proper legal
vote.

-Supervisor Rowe spoke about the February 28 special
meeting of the Board. This time their agenda has only one item: the
Renewable Energy and Conservation Element of the County Plan. She
invites us to come comment to the Supervisors before they take a vote on
whether or not to include the Policy 4.10 as recommended by the
Planning Commission.

We do want to get as many people as
possible to go to this meeting, as went and argued our case so well that
they got unanimous approval from the Planning Commission.We need
4.10 to protect our rural communities and desert ecosystems from
large-scale industrial solar projects, and to encourage rooftop and
parking lot solar at the point of use.

More details on these
issues to come. The next regular HVCC meeting will be held here in
Johnson Valley, on Monday, February 18th, at 3:00 p.m.

^^^^^^^^^^^7 DAYS TO GET YOUR DUES IN• Next Thursday, January 31,
is the last day to sign up or re-up for membership in JVIA, if you want
to have voting privileges, run for office, and receive the Johnson
Valley Journal.

Just print the attached application form and get
it into the mail by the 31st with your check made out to JVIA. Or pay
your dues by secure credit card PayPal payment on www.johnsonvalley.com, AND mail the form to Helene, address on the form.

Or
get an application form on the lobby desk when you come to Saturday
Breakfast at the Center, fill it out and give it to the cashier with
your dues.

E-Mail address: If you want to continue receiving this
JV NEWS e-mail between Journals, be sure to print your e-mail address
plainly on your application form.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^8 DAYS UNTIL KING OF THE HAMMERS •
The big haulers and race trailers have been rolling in, carrying the
incredible loads of equipment for Hammertown spectators, and the cars,
trucks, and tools for the race crews. This week of off-road racing draws
myriads of fans – expect crowds, fantastic off-road vehicles,
conversations with race crews, good food and fun for the family.

Just
the planning and logistics by Hammerking Productions, the staff and
volunteers, well, it boggles the mind to consider how far this event has
grown over so few years. Surveying Hammertown (its footprint has grown
every year), setting up miles of spectator fencing, trenching for miles
of underground cables for lights, wireless and the Jumbotrons, erecting
all those tents for the racers’ garages and the multitude of vendors,
contracting with sheriffs and fire departments, Porta Potties,
livestreaming helicopters and other news media arrangements, driver
meetings, and gatekeepers, on and on and on. Dave Cole should be proud
that so many people return to work this event every year.

Most
races from 2018 return for this year, including the Monday Night
Shootout – the Ultra4 cars vs. rock bouncers. And you would be surprised
how many well-known Ultra4 and other KOH drivers have jumped into the
UTV’s.

We will miss the Motos, but new for 2019: a “T1” Desert
Truck race, the Toyo Tires Desert Invitational Presented by Monster
Energy on Thursday, February 7th. The top 30 racers from SCORE
International and the Best in the Desert Series will run two races.
Entries include Cameron Steele, winner of the Baja 1000 last November,
and Jesse James of Monster Garage and West Coast Choppers. The addition
of this race forced a rearrangement of the other race days, and the
painful decision to exclude the Motos.

The total purse for KOH
Week 2019 adds up to more than $300,000. Now the Legends Class, usually
trophy-only, wins money. UTVs and Every Man Challenge classes win $5,000
for first place, $2,500 for second, and $1,500 for third place. T1
Truck winners get $100,000 for first, $15,000 for second, and $10,000
for third place, and the fastest lap setter wins $3,750.

Every
participant and crew member ever interviewed claims major bragging
rights if their vehicle even finishes. Or if they even get out there and
give it their best, and the grueling course gets the better of them.

Tony
Pellegrino and the GenRight team takes fans out on the race course on
Saturday, February 9th, after KOH is over, as part of the GenRight KOH
Experience. What are the Hammers trails really like? Oh, yeah.

KOH ADMISSION GOOD FEBRUARY 1-9• Local KOH fans, JVIA does not have entry wristbands again this year.

General Entry Pass – $30 per person, at www.ultra4license.com, or at the Gate to enter Hammertown and the race spectator areas for every event during KOH weekKids 10 and younger are free!Military Discounts – available only at the Gate with your Military ID(Do not purchase these tickets online as all sales are non-refundable)Active Duty – Free at the GateVeterans and Dependents – 1/2 off at the Gate ($15)

CAMPER
PASS – $20 online or at the gate, for any camping vehicle with living
quarters, (i.e., RV, Trailer, Cab-Over, Toter-Home) that enters Johnson
Valley during KOH Week.This pass is good for the duration of KOH and is required of ALL spectators, pit crews, and teams with camping vehicles.Camping
is primitive, and first-come-first-served for spectators, outside of
Hammertown. Registered race teams have assigned addresses in Hammertown.
(See map on www.ultra4racing.com.)The
Camper Pass is a separate pass from the car/truck/pit bike parking
passes required of teams that drive vehicles inside of Hammertown.

www.ultra4racing.com
gives you LOTS of tips and info! If you want to get an idea of just how
important KOH has become to off-road enthusiasts, fabricators,
suppliers, and associated businesses, click on PARTNERS!

Check out all the stuff and services your entry fees pay for, that make this event a unique spectator experience.

Click
on SPECTATOR for the FAQ, rules, requirements, tips for first-time
visitors to the lakebed, permits necessary for any OHV you want to bring
in, food, vendors, camping, etc. etc.

CAUTION Keep pets
confined! Count on strange noises from the vehicles, the fans, and
nearby Marine Base training exercises! If you do lose or find, a
wandering pet, post with a photo if possible on “Pets of the Hammers” on
Facebook.

Please do not approach Hammertown on Darancette Rd.,
be mindful it’s open for the residents only. Be ready for slow going
every day, all week, on the approaches to Hammertown. Smile and be
patient, have your tickets handy at the gate. We’re not here to stress
out; we’re here to enjoy a good time. And don’t ruin your whole visit by
passing a line of slower vehicles, only to meet head-on with another
vehicle hidden just over a rise. Think two-lane road, NOT a freeway.

Sometimes
new fans unfamiliar with the area miss the turn onto Boone Rd., then
try to turn around on the community roads. And some people wait at the
highway to meet friends and lead them to their campsites. Watch out for
traffic all around, and for kids!

Remember, if you pack it in,
pack it out. Clean-up after KOH is also an enormous undertaking. We know
some un-cool visitors have left their trash bags by the highway –
don’t! If wind and critters get to them, it doesn’t take much to have
garbage spread around by the road.

When going to and from the
OHV Area from our community roads, do not travel on the Hwy 247
right-of-way, use the dirt trail that parallels it on the north side.
Cross the highway legally and very carefully to get onto any of the
community roads.

If you come up Larrea Road while in or on a green-sticker vehicle, travel on the dirt alongside the pavement.

———HELLO, NEW JVIA MEMBERS•
JVIA members receive the Johnson Valley Journal 6 times a year – this
JV NEWS e-mail in between Journals keeps you up-to-date. You also get
information, especially for JVIA members.

Space restrictions for
the weekly community news columns in the Hi-Desert Star do not allow
much room for these items. Also, the deadline is the Tuesday before
Saturday publication – so the Journal is not always the latest news.
Anyway, many of our weekenders do not see the papers.

If you prefer not to receive the JV NEWS e-mails, just reply and say Cancel.

————-COMMUNITY CENTER INFORMATIONEveryone
is welcome to every event at the Center! Johnson Valley Improvement
Association members or non-members may join in on scheduled activities
and special events!

The Center is available for birthday
celebrations, family gatherings, weddings. No rent, just a donation to
cover overheads, and that you leave it as you found it.

The
recent rains not only give us some hope for a wildflower show this
spring, but they also help the Paul Van Hook Desert Dreams Garden, next
to the Community Center parking lot. The drought-resistant plants and
trees have had time now to become established, Long showers have
delivered moisture with time enough to soak in. So far, January freezes
have done minimal damage.

Greening up comes at different times
for different varieties. We wait a long time for some, which only start
showing signs of life when days get longer and much hotter. Worth the
wait.

As the weather improves, the Garden Railway crew can get
out and do track maintenance chores, so we can see the model trains run.
Make sure kids do not enter the train layout at any time; tracks and
model buildings are not toys! Repairs can be difficult and expensive,
and make the crew members sad.

The trains might run any Saturday,
and maybe at other times, too. Ask when you come to Saturday Breakfast,
7:00-10:00 a.m. if the trains are running that day.

]]>http://new.vote29.com/blog/johnson-valley-news-1-25-2019/feed/015342A Meteorite struck the Super Blood Wolf Moon while we were watching it on Sundayhttp://new.vote29.com/blog/a-meteorite-struck-the-super-blood-wolf-moon-while-we-were-watching-it-on-sunday/
http://new.vote29.com/blog/a-meteorite-struck-the-super-blood-wolf-moon-while-we-were-watching-it-on-sunday/#respondWed, 23 Jan 2019 18:44:31 +0000http://new.vote29.com/blog/?p=15336While we were ooh-and-aah’ing, and shivering, Sunday night watching and photographing the Super Blood Wolf Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse event, a small meteorite struck the moon right in front of our eyes at 11:41:43 p.m., ET, just before the eclipse totality started. It showed up as a brief sub-second flash in videos, but a few […]

]]>While we were ooh-and-aah’ing, and shivering, Sunday night watching and photographing the Super Blood Wolf Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse event, a small meteorite struck the moon right in front of our eyes at 11:41:43 p.m., ET, just before the eclipse totality started.

It showed up as a brief sub-second flash in videos, but a few eagle-eyes noticed the flash. From there, it was a race to confirm whether the flash originated on the moon or from some more mundane source on Earth. The flash was verified in multiple videos captured in different cities and continents, thereby confirming that this was the first recorded sighting of a meteor strike during a full moon and during a lunar eclipse event.

]]>http://new.vote29.com/blog/a-meteorite-struck-the-super-blood-wolf-moon-while-we-were-watching-it-on-sunday/feed/01533629 Palms city called out for reactionary attitudes; opposing expansion of tribal sovereignty; Project Phoenix scam; Anti-Sanctuary City ordinance, and 50‘s mentalityhttp://new.vote29.com/blog/29-palms-called-out-for-reactionary-attitudes-opposing-expansion-of-tribal-sovereignty-project-phoenix-scam-anti-sanctuary-city-ordinance-and-shortsighted-mentalities-of-the-50s/
http://new.vote29.com/blog/29-palms-called-out-for-reactionary-attitudes-opposing-expansion-of-tribal-sovereignty-project-phoenix-scam-anti-sanctuary-city-ordinance-and-shortsighted-mentalities-of-the-50s/#respondTue, 22 Jan 2019 22:42:14 +0000http://new.vote29.com/blog/?p=15316“[29 Palms Band of Mission Indians] are thriving and ready and willing to invest locally. Twentynine Palms is sort of belly up and waving a tin cup.” Listen to all this BS from the City Council. They’re green lighting “Project Phoenix”, a multi-million dollar [60 million all told] redevelopment scam engineered by [local] GOP bigwigs […]

]]>“[29 Palms Band of Mission Indians] are thriving and ready and willing to invest locally. Twentynine Palms is sort of belly up and waving a tin cup.”

Listen to all this BS from the City Council.

They’re green lighting “Project Phoenix”, a multi-million dollar [60 million all told] redevelopment scam engineered by [local] GOP bigwigs that will do nothing to draw visitors and shoppers to the unappetizing, treeless cement landscape of greater downtown ’29.

The Casino is the most successful private business venture in the whole town. Are the local gas stations afraid of a little competition?

The Tribe also wants to build an indoor “entertainment center” where major name performers can appear. And a nice restaurant too. Does this interfere with Project Phoenix’s proposed facility for the “arts”?

29 Palms is lucky to have the casino at all. It’s a huge draw of people into the town, and shops and restaurants all benefit. The Tribe is obviously better at business than the town.

They’re thriving and ready and willing to invest locally. Twentynine Palms is sort of

belly up and waving a tin cup.

Using taxes as an excuse is a real stretch since the casino is now the town’s biggest attraction.

The town fathers reactionary’ attitude fits right in with their recently declared “Anti-Sanctuary City” ordinance. It’s still the 1950’s in 29 Palms.

This was added as a comment to a Desert Trail news story under title of City opposes expansion of tribal sovereignty.” The article is recommended reading to understand city logic for opposing a tribal “3,000 square foot convenience store and gas station, with 12 pumps and RV parking, on the southwest corner of Twentynine Palms Highway and Utah Trail.”

End <><><>

“Children of the Wolf”

The 29 Palms Band of Mission Indians trace their origin back to the Chemeheuvi, a peaceful and nomadic tribe whose territory once covered Utah, Arizona, and southern Nevada. In the mid- 1800’s the Chemeheuvi migrated from Colorado River Valley to the more remote areas of the Mojave Desert. In 1867, a group of Chemeheuvi settled at the Oasis of Twenty-Nine Palms (the present day Oasis of Mara). The twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians are their descendants.

Today the Bands reservation lands are located near the town of Twenty Nine Palms, at the Intersection of I-10 and Highway 86, and includes the site of the Spotlight 29 Casino, whose proceeds help provide housing, education, and financial security for future generations. Official Tribal Government Website